Ernest Solvay - Life & achievements

Full name Ernest Gaston Joseph Solvay
Born 16 April 1838 in Rebecq, Belgium 
Deceased 26 May 1922 in Ixelles, Brussels, Belgium 

Youth & training

• He was the son of a quarry master in Rebecq. 
• Due to pleurisy (a lung disease), he was unable to attend university on a regular basis. 
• From the age of 21, he worked in his uncle's gasworks, where he developed a particular interest in chemistry, in particular to make use of ammonia, a by-product of the coal gasification process. 

Invention of the Solvay process & creation of the company

• In 1861, together with his brother Alfred Solvay, he developed a method for making sodium carbonate (soda ash) from brine and limestone, known as the Solvay process (also known as the ammonia-soda process). 
• In 1863, he founded the Solvay & Cie and set up its first factory at Couillet (near Charleroi, Belgium) to produce soda ash using this process. 
• He gradually perfected the process, and in 1872 he began patenting the industrial stages. 
• The process, which was more economical and cleaner than the old Leblanc process, enabled Solvay to establish itself internationally. 
• Solvay factories were set up in several countries: the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, Russia, etc. 

Scientific and philanthropic commitments

• Solvay used part of his fortune to support science and education. 
• In 1894, he founded the’Institute of Social Sciences (ISS) at the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB). 
• In 1903, he founded Solvay Business School, still attached to the ULB. 
• In 1911, he organised the first Solvay Physics Conference, It brought together the great names in physics at the time (Planck, Curie, Einstein, etc.). 
• It will also initiate a subsequent series of chemistry conferences and support the creation of research institutes in physics and chemistry.
  
  
  

The 1st Solvay Congress on 3 November 1911
Participants 

Political career & recognition

• He was elected twice to the Belgian Senate under the banner of the Liberal Party. 
• At the end of his life, he was awarded the honorary title of Minister of State. 
• He also received a number of honours, including the Grand Cordon de l'Ordre de Léopold (Belgium) and the Grand Cordon de la Légion d'honneur (France). 

Death and inheritance

• Ernest Solvay died in Ixelles on 26 May 1922, aged 84. 
• He is buried in Ixelles cemetery. 
• The town of Solvay (New York) and Rosignano Solvay (Italy) bear his name, in reference to the factories founded in these regions. 

Here is a Solvay historical chronology 

• 1838 - Birth of’Ernest Solvay in Rebecq (Belgium). 
• 1861 - Ernest and Alfred Solvay developed ammonia-soda process (Solvay process). 
• 1863 - Foundation of Solvay & Cie ; the first plant in Couillet (Charleroi). 
• 1872 - Patenting and industrial development of the Solvay process. 
• The 1870s and 1880s - Start of the’international expansion (France, UK, Germany, Russia, USA). 
• 1881 - Location at United States (Syracuse, NY); the city will become Solvay (NY). 
• 1894 - Creation of the’Institute of Social Sciences at the ULB by Ernest Solvay. 
• 1903 - Foundation of Solvay Business School (ULB). 
• 1911 - 1ʳᵉ Solvay Conference (physics) in Brussels; the birth of a series of major scientific conferences. 
• 1912-1914 - Creation of the Rosignano site (Tuscany, Italy) and start-up of soda ash production. 
• 1917 — Forfeiture of Solvay's assets in Russia after the October Revolution. 
• 1922 - Death of Ernest Solvay in Ixelles (Brussels). 
• After 1945 — Nationalisations 15 Solvay sites in Eastern Europe (Romania, Hungary, GDR, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Poland). 
• 2011 — Acquisition of Rhodia by Solvay (≈ 4.8 bn $ announced). 
• 2015 — Acquisition of Cytec Industries (advanced materials) for 5.5 bn $ (enterprise value 6.4 bn 1Q4).
• 11 Dec. 2023 — Split of the group :
  • Solvay focuses on essential chemistry (soda, peroxide, silica, etc.).
  • Syensqo brings together specialised activities and advanced technologies.

Genealogy SOLVAY Ernest Gaston Joseph :
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